Entertainment · Film · 8 hrs ago
Paramount Skydance CEO says AI could reshape filmmaking
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison says AI could transform filmmaking and have a bigger effect than computer-generated imagery did.
He made the comments during an earnings call as he discussed the company’s plans for the technology.
Ellison expects AI tools to make production faster and cheaper, and says Paramount Skydance is developing tools of its own.
He compared the potential cost savings with the rise in the cost of making the 1983 film “The Terminator,” from $4 million then to an estimated $60 million to $70 million today.
Lower costs could make studios more willing to take risks on original stories that might otherwise be too expensive.
Ellison also said the company sees hand-crafted storytelling as valuable in a world of AI-made content.
He said AI would be a tool for artists, not a replacement, while the company works to bring its tools into its operations.
David Ellison said artificial intelligence could make film production faster and cheaper and expand creative possibilities.
The Paramount Skydance CEO compared AI’s potential impact with the arrival of CGI and digital composites in the early 1990s.
He said AI tools could make project budgets more manageable and help studios take risks on original stories.
Ellison said AI would be a tool for artists, not a replacement for them, and argued that handcrafted storytelling would retain value.
The Hollywood Reporter said Skydance planned to spend $30 billion annually across its content portfolio and was seeking $6 billion in merger cost synergies.
- Who
- David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance.
- What
- He said AI could reduce production costs, speed up work and expand creative possibilities.
- When
- During his first earnings call as CEO of both Paramount and Warner Bros.; the articles were published on November 9 and 10, 2026.
- Where
- On an earnings call with analysts. The sources do not state where it took place.
- Why
- Ellison said AI tools could make budgets more manageable and allow studios to take more risks on original storytelling.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ellison said the original Terminator was made for $4 million.
Ellison cited the arrival of CGI and digital composites as the last comparable creative breakthrough.
The Hollywood Reporter said James Cameron’s Lightstorm bought an AI-driven 3D post-production firm.
Ellison discussed AI on his first earnings call as CEO of both Paramount and Warner Bros.
- Terminator’s original budget
- $4 million
- Estimated cost to remake Terminator shot-for-shot today
- $60 million to $70 million
- Planned annual content spending
- $30 billion
- Target merger cost synergies
- $6 billion
- Franchises Ellison described as worth $1 billion each
- 40
2 sources
What people are saying
AI really has the potential to be the biggest creative unlock in modern history.
artificial intelligence is a tool for artists and will never be a replacement for them.
in a world of AI slop we think there will always be a premium for truly hand-crafted storytelling.
I don’t think it can be discounted how fast this technology is moving.